3-D Printing is Rapidly Gaining Worldwide Interest

When 3-D printing was first introduced, most of the world thought it would just be a fad that quickly wore out. The continued success with this high-tech way of printing has led to an over 1,800-percent increase in this being a job skill requirement. In the engineering industry, over 35-percent of all job listings now require experience in 3-D printing. These volumes are practically unheard of in any other realm.

Increase in Demand Equals New Job Openings

Over the last four years, 3-D printing has steadily risen in popularity and necessity. The biggest spike has been between August 2013 and August 2014, according to reports by leading employment services. Training is required in order to learn this skilled trade.

The manufacturing and engineering industries have the most demand at the present time for workers with these skills, but of course, offer their existing employees the opportunity to obtain the skills first.

The increased benefits of printing usable materials scales down costs, over time, for major corporations and manufacturers worldwide.

For example, if an engineer needs a specific tool but it is not available on company property, they can program the printer to make it for them. Although the tool is likely to be made of plastic or aluminum, it is still sturdy enough to get the job done.

Training in 3-D Printing Increases

Training classes in this trending industry now have waiting lists. The demand for the knowledge simply exceeds the available instructors and hours in the day for the material to be taught.

Industries requesting 3-D printing skills for job seekers:

Industrial and mechanical engineering

Software and application developers

Commercial and industrial designers (architecture)

Marketing managers

Computer equipment manufacturing

Tire and lube wholesalers

GPS systems developers

The list continues. These high-tech industries require usable prototypes, parts or entire production lines to create key elements for product development and instituting personal visions.

If you have these skills, it is a good idea to advertise them because it wont be long before a great career opportunity knocks. Specific career boards are being created just for 3-D printers. There are positions open globally, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and India as examples.

Freelancers Have Stability

Freelancers with skills in 3-D printing are in high demand, which is something that most freelancers are not used to. Since this process can be used for millions of applications, the work available is steady and has ample volume. Job boards and services such as Elance, Indeed.com and oDesk have pages of listings looking for workers with this experience and freelancers posting to introduce themselves with their skills. Job postings can also be found on Guru and CAD Crowd.

Some of these positions earn well over $100,000 per year. This lucrative career is something to consider if you are a struggling freelancer in any of the major industries mentioned previously. Take to the Internet to view available openings, and always be open to relocation. When you have the most impressive skills in the current pool of available workers, you stand out and companies will be fighting each other to employ you.

Keeping these facts in mind, there is no end in sight in regards to the demand for skilled workers with 3-D printing knowledge. Industry leaders in additive manufacturing and engineering alone expect an additional 20-percent increase in skill demand over the next year at the bare minimum. The evolving industry of technology is always going to be in demand. If you are not a freelancer or skilled professional in this field, it may be time to consider a career change as the time to enter into this industry is right now.